II

He closed his eyes tight, holding firmly onto the handle. "This is it," he whispered to himself, trying to sound braver, though his voice shook. And using all his remaining strength, forward he plunged the blade.

But instead of the pain.

Something else.

"warmth".

His eyes opened wide, trying to make sense of it all.

Alex: (in shock) "What… what is this? What's happening?!

Instead of a sharp, searing pain that his mind had prepared itself for, a warm sensation suddenly spread through his body, wrapping around him like a protective blanket. The dagger, instead of ending his life, seemed to be… waking something up within him.

The dagger flares to life in Alex's hand, casting an unexpected, warm glow. His pulse quickens, heart pounding in his chest as the blade hums with energy, its surface radiating strange, beautiful colors.For a moment, the room seems alive with light, and Alex stands frozen, caught in the moment.

Alex:** (in shock, breathless) "What… what is this? What the hell's happening?!"

Just as suddenly, the dagger evaporates. One second it's solid and real in his grip, the next it dissolves into thin air, leaving nothing but the empty space where it once was.Alex stumbles back, heart racing, eyes wide with disbelief.

Alex:** (frantic, retreating) "No way… Did that really just happen?"

He looks at his trembling hands, mind whirling.Could it be his abilities again, playing tricks on him like they always did? The thought gnaws at him, unsettling and infuriating.

Alex: (frustrated, trying to steady his voice) "It's gotta be my stupid powers again… Why does this always happen to me?"

His legs weaken, and he sinks to the floor. The silence that follows feels suffocating.** The weight of the moment starts to settle in, and with it, the cold realization of what he had almost done.

Alex: (whispering, regretful) "What was I thinking? I almost… I almost really did it."

The regret hits him hard, like a punch to the gut.** He almost ended everything—his life, his suffering—on impulse, driven by a fleeting moment of despair. What if the dagger hadn't disappeared? What if it had worked? The thought leaves him shaken.

Alex: (softly, feeling lost) "Would they… would my parents be proud of what I almost did?"

The question lingers in the air, heavy and painful. His mind floods with memories—his parents' smiling faces, their warmth, their love.They had always believed in him, even when he didn't believe in himself. **Tears fill his eyes, and his chest tightens with the weight of guilt.**

Alex: (voice cracking, filled with sorrow) "what they'll said if they were alive ."

the sadness crashes over him, stronger than before.** He can't help but feel like a failure—like he's betrayed not only himself but the memory of his parents. Would they be ashamed of him for trying to take the easy way out? For almost giving up?

Alex: (barely a whisper, full of regret) "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."

He presses his palms to his face, tears streaming down his cheeks. **The loneliness, the despair—it all feels unbearable.** He knows he can't go back to the university, not after everything. But he can't just sit here in this empty house, trapped in a cycle of regret and sorrow.

Alex: (broken, defeated) "What's left for me now? I'll never be happy again… not like this."

He leans his head against the wall, his body trembling with the weight of his emotions. The silence in the room feels heavier than before, like it's pressing down on him, suffocating him. For the first time in a long time, Alex wonders if there's any hope left for him, or if he's doomed to live in the shadow of his pain forever.

He decided he would spend one last night in the house. It wasn't just the memories keeping him there-it was the exhaustion, the overwhelming guilt gnawing at him after nearly ending the life his parents had given him. He lay down on the old, creaky bed in his parents' room, staring up at the ceiling. It felt colder than what he remembered. Dust swirled in the faint light, meandering lazily from the cracked window.

Alex:(whispering, overcome with guilt) "They gave me this life… and I almost threw it away."

He closed his eyes then, finding some solace in the darkness-as if he could dodge some of the turmoil in his mind. The silence in the room seemed to cinch around him, the throbbing pressure of his guilt weighing upon his chest. His sleep came slowly, and when it finally did, it wasn't peaceful.

His body suddenly tensed, frozen. The bed below him disappeared, and he was standing in a place that sent shivers down his spine. Thick fog swirled around him, muddling his vision, and the air hung tight with unnatural stillness.He looked around, his heart pounding.

Alex:(concerned, voice shaking) "Where… where am I? Am I dreaming?"

He took a step forward, but something was peculiar beneath his feet, almost as if he were floating. Around him ghostly shapes started appearing, transparent beings gliding across without a sound through the fog.Their forms were faint, almost like shadows barely illuminated by lights from far away.

Alex:(whispering and puzzled) "What is this place? It feels… otherworldly."

The figures appeared to notice him and, willingly or not, started drifting towards him. The fog thickened around him, a chokehold, and his breathing quickened in fear.** Indeed, he could barely make out their shapes in the fog, shining like thin smokes pulsating in and out of focus. 

Alex:(in a whisper, frightened) "w.. w...wait,What the hell is happening here?"

The entities moved closer as their voices, which had been barely intelligible at first, became distorted echoes of something far away.

Entities: distorted, unclear voices "T....worl.... just."

Alex's heart was racing at once. He took a step back, his body trembling in fear.

Alex: panicked, raising his voice "Don't come closer! What the hell do you want?!"

The entities persisted, and the voices became clearer, insisting.

Entities: clearer, eerie voice "Hear us...Return to us....The truth....awaits.!"

The fog swirled violently for a moment, and then in that fleeting moment, it was just as if the entities were not there anymore. Again, he stood, frozen; the words still echoing in his mind.

Alex: in a soft tone, badly shaken "What… what was that?"

And in that instant, the world around him changed once again.** Reality contorted, and in the blink of a moment, he was in bed, heart racing against his chest. **The sun flowed in through the dusty window panes, shedding a soft golden radiance across the room.** The night still hung cold in air, yet morning seemed eerily still, as though the silence weighed down upon him.

Alex:(sitting up, confused) "Was that… just a dream?"

He rubbed his face to shake the lingering unease off him, but something did not feel right. In reaching to stand, he looked down at something on his forearm.

Alex:(pausing, eyes wide) "WTF…?"

He ran to the mirror onto his arm; his heart was racing wildly.There, inked into his skin, was a tattoo of the dagger he had held the night before—the one which disappeared in his hands. The intricate markings, the strange symbols… they were exactly the same.

Alex:(in amazement, breathless) "How… how did this happen?"

He stared at the tattoo, his mind racing. It was impossible—everything about this was impossible. Yet here it was, etched into his flesh. His reflection stared back at him, pale and shaken.

Alex:(in a shaking voice, almost as if he had been doubting it) "Was it… real?"

He laid his hand on his arm; the cold feel of his skin meant this was reality. **All those markings, the dagger, those beings. this weird place with all its fog-it felt so real, a bit too real, more than anything he had ever been through.** There he stood, in a daze, trying to piece it all together.

Alex:(whispering, still in shock) "I cannot stay here. not after this."

He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the worst. Too many questions were swarming in his mind, and this old decaying house wasn't likely to provide the answers he was searching for. The memories haunting him, the overwhelming guilt, the sorrow-it weighed upon him, yet there was more to it: eerie and disquieting.

He got up, resolved, and gathered the few belongings he had remaining, his movements quick but calculated. He had no idea what the tattoo meant or what the strange vision had been, but he knew one thing for sure-he could not stay here.

He needed to go back to the university-to go back to where things might make a little sense.

Alex: I need to go back. I can't stay here much longer.

He stepped out of the house, and the old door creaked shut behind him. The morning light was brighter now, but shadows of those haunting questions seemed to follow him everywhere. As he continued to walk further away, he knew finding the truth wasn't going to be easy, but he wasn't going to stop either. Something inside him had changed, and there was no turning back.

When Alex arrived at the dormitory, night had enveloped the city, spreading its thick darkness into every corner. He opened his room door to find it shrouded in gloom, as if it was a reflection of the place he had just left. The room was small, with faded colors and old furniture, as if it hadn't been updated in years. The dim lights barely illuminated the space, making the shadows on the walls appear deeper and more mysterious.

He sat on the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath as he tried to absorb his long journey. He slowly lifted his arm, staring at the strange tattoo that had suddenly appeared on his skin. "What does this mean?" he wondered aloud, feeling the weight of the mystery surrounding him.

The faint sounds filling the room – the creaking of the furniture and the wind sneaking through the window – heightened his sense of isolation. He looked at the walls adorned with old posters and notes left by previous occupants. "Did I really come back here?" he muttered to himself, as his mind wandered through memories of times when he felt safe and comfortable.

His eyes moved to the wardrobe filled with scattered clothes, and beside it, some old family photos placed haphazardly. "It's like time stopped here," he said quietly, feeling a suffocating loneliness surrounding him. "Is this the future that I was afraid of?"

To be continued...